Bitter feuds Phil Collins had with fellow Kurt Cobain
When Collins first started gaining traction as a solo artist, the 1980s were just getting started looking ridiculous. Although Collins looks like one of the most average people ever to become a pop star, seeing him wear tie-dye shirts and/or a suit as he was crooning made rock and roll look like it reached peak middle age. Rock and roll was always a young man’s game, and Kurt Cobain couldn’t stand what Collins stood for.
When talking about the state of rock in 1992, Cobain talked about how much he hated the kind of music that Collins brought to the table, saying, “I hate Phil Collins, all of that while male soul. I hate tie-dyed tee-shirts, too. I wouldn’t wear a tie-dyed tee-shirt unless it was dyed with the urine of Phil Collins”. Even in the age when grunge was ruling the airwaves, Collins managed to respond by making one of the most predictable moves in history.
Listening to his next album, Both Sides, Collins seemed to sound even more out of touch than he did before, almost looking like the wise old uncle of rock and roll who occasionally tried his hand at getting down with what the kids were listening to. He could still write a hook, but once ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ happened, change was definitely in the air.
